<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Cheri Piers by merryfortune</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22970113">Cheri Piers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryfortune/pseuds/merryfortune'>merryfortune</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Goth/Prep Relationship, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:21:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22970113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryfortune/pseuds/merryfortune</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sonia invites Piers over to the Lab so she can give him a gift, as a thank you for his help with the Sordward and Shielbert debacle.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nezu | Piers/Sonia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cheri Piers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>my voice headcanon for Piers is Lux Interior from <a>The Cramps</a> so I recommend listening to their music whilst reading this. Or <a>Warrant's Cherry Pie</a> for obvious reasons. links go to youtube xx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   “Thank you for coming all the way from Spikemuth, it must’ve been quite the journey, Piers.” Sonia said, amicably as she let Piers inside.</p><p>   He had a sort of apathetic look on his face and shrugged. “I needed to get out. I’m working on a new album and I need new material. Thought there was a slight chance I’d find it out here.”</p><p>   “Oh, well, I hope you find your inspiration soon then.” Sonia replied, chirpy and nervous.</p><p>   Piers quirked a brow as he looked down on her and figured that her slightly strange reaction to that bit of news was probably nothing. He sighed and came in further through the threshold.</p><p>   He had never actually visited the Galar Pokémon Laboratory before as he had never needed to; he tamed a Purrloin on the outskirts as a kid, later evolved it into a Liepard, beginning his love affair with Dark Type Pokémon and just went from there when he could. As such it was different to his expectations. He thought it would be stifling, claustrophobic with papers everywhere and sterile with the cloying scent of cleaning chemicals permanently pressed into the air. It wasn’t. Instead, it was spacious and fresh with the smell of misted plants wafting through but there was something else about it as well. It was homey. Homey in the luxurious, upper middle-class sense which Piers had only formulated again from his own expectations.</p><p>   Sonia led him to the kitchen, all whilst twirling her hair incessantly around her fingers as she was prone to do, where there was a breakfast bar and red brick walls. He sat on one of the stools; it was a cool metal under his legs. Piers overlooked the tiles of the kitchen, but he realised quickly that they were actually squares of smooth, sealed linoleum.</p><p>   “I’ve got a gift for you. Just something small, to show my appreciation for you helping out with that huge mess with Sordward and Shielbert.” Sonia said, her voice was kind of whinging, but it was kind of cute too so Piers could tolerate it.</p><p>   “Yeah, what blinkin’ weirdoes... But I’d do anythin’ to keep the young’uns safe, y’know?” Piers mumbled.</p><p>   “It was totally heroic how you teamed up! Without you, things could’ve turned for the worst.” Sonia exclaimed. “But anyways, I made something for you. I wasn’t sure what you’d like but you’re so skinny and you love your little sister a lot so I thought you might appreciate a homecooked meal.”</p><p>   “You’d be right on the money, honey.” Piers replied.</p><p>   “Oh! Great! Then I hope you like it then...” Sonia chirruped. “Just give me two seconds.”</p><p>   “Yeah, sure.” Piers said, hand waving her off.</p><p>   Without further ado, she ducked back to that brick oven behind her and she opened the pretty glass door on it and the blast of hot air was palatable for everyone but her. She sputtered in the face of it, but Piers relished it. In it, he could smell something delectably sweet; he wasn’t even a sweets kind of guy, he preferred something a little bit between spicy and mild, but really, he ate anything given his hardy sort of nature. But still, whatever was in that oven smelt good. Real good.</p><p>   As he licked his lips, with a question about the food Sonia had made just on the tip of his wet tongue, as he leaned over the counter and he copped an eyeful of Sonia, and those fine pale blue jeans, from behind so he stuck his neck back where it belonged. He blushed slightly. That was inappropriate but wow, Sonia did have a nice figure. He’d never noticed before because she was a bit slimmer upright, he supposed.</p><p>   “So, uh, what’d you make? Brownies? Brownies with a bit o’ grass in it maybe, if ya catch my drift?” Piers asked.</p><p>   “Piers!” Sonia exclaimed, scolding him.</p><p>   “My bad.” Piers murmured.</p><p>   Sonia sighed. “Sorry, that was rude. No, Piers, I did not make you hash cakes.”</p><p>   “Figures, you seem a li’l too... uptight for that.” Piers murmured.</p><p>   “Stars, Piers, please stop, you’re just digging a grave for yourself.” Sonia said, more miffed than actually admonished, and she finally popped back up again, she turned around and in between her big, fluffy oven mitts, she held a pie tin. “I made you Cheri Pie... It’s, um, my favourite, to be honest. It’s an old family recipe.”</p><p>   “Oh, that, uh, sounds real nice, Sonia.” Piers said.</p><p>   Sonia smiled brightly. “Thanks, I’ll serve us a slice each then, if you don’t mind, or I can put it in some container, and you can take it home and eat it at your leisure or-”</p><p>   “Right here, right now, with you sounds fine, Sonia. Though, uh, I wouldn’t mind takin’ home the leftovers, assuming it’s pretty good, of course.” Piers said, interrupting Sonia’s rambling.</p><p>   “That sounds good. And yeah, trust me, it is more than just pretty good.” Sonia boasted. “Would you like ice cream or custard with yours, we’ve got both in the fridge.”</p><p>   “Hm, what would you recommend, Chef Sonia?” Piers asked, he put his elbow on the bench and propped his head up with his hand.</p><p>   “Ice cream, for sure. We’ve got Kalosian Vanilla at the moment, real indulgent.” Sonia told him.</p><p>   “Ooh-la-la.” Piers sarcastically returned her.</p><p>   “I’ll go set us up then, no touching ‘til it’s cool then.” Sonia said as she set the pie down in front of Piers.</p><p>   She flitted about the kitchen and collected some clean plates and cutlery from the top drawers. She fished out an ice cream scoop from the one below and then, beneath the refrigerator, she excavated a huge, blue tub of ice cream. With various thuds and clatters, she set it all down in front of Piers who had been, to his embarrassment somewhat, salivating over the pie which had curls of steam wafting up off it, though significantly less so now as it had cooled for a teensy bit.</p><p>   Sonia opened the ice cream tub and scooped more out of it. It was emptier than Piers had been expecting. Sonia seemed to notice and smiled sheepishly.</p><p>   “I won’t lie. I had bit of a mega drama queen melt down the other day after putting on a cool front for the kids. I really liked that assistant, so I just did what girls like me do best: put on the telly, watched my favourite chick flicks, all whilst crying into a bucket of ice cream.” Sonia explained. “But also, Gran and Pa really like Kalosian Vanilla as well and often have some after dinner.”</p><p>   “Ah. Cool.” Piers grunted, uncertain of what to say. He scratched the side of his face. “I don’t think it’s, like, wrong to be emotional. I think it’s cool that you took your friendship with her so seriously. How’re the things with Hop and stuff at the lab now that you’re the prof?”</p><p>   “Good, actually. Hop’s a bright spark, even though he’s young. If I don’t watch out, he’ll break my record for youngest Pokémon Professor ever and I’ll be thrown out with the dishwater.” Sonia said, laughing.</p><p>   Piers hummed; amused by the statement and pleasantly surprised by how kind Sonia’s laugh was on the ears. He didn’t know why, but he thought that she would have a grating or otherwise annoying.</p><p>   “I reckon you’d make a pretty hot old lady professor. I mean, all professors are old and musty, but I think you’d keep it fresh so here’s to hoping you don’t get dethroned before your hair goes grey.” Piers teased.</p><p>   “Thanks.” Sonia said, rolling her eyes but still rather chuffed at the compliment somewhere tucked in Pier’s jape.</p><p>   She finished serving up the slices of pie. She flashed Piers an awkward smile, but he didn’t notice as he was quick to tuck in. And it was every bit as good as promised by both Sonia and the wafting aromas that he had been wafting for the past few minutes. It was spicy, as expected of a pie made of Cheri Berries, but the crust muted it; not to mention the complementary Pecha Berry slices strewn in between the thicker layers of Cheri Berry chunks, some of which had turned to this nice, jamlike mush. Piers was practically moaning onto his fork as he ate.</p><p>   Sonia chuckled as she sat down next to him at the breakfast bar. “Enjoying it?”</p><p>   “Better than restaurant quality.” Piers said, still chewing.</p><p>   “Gross.” Sonia muttered.</p><p>   “Whatever.” Piers said, gulping the last of it down.</p><p>   Regardless, he was quick to demolish what was on his plate, which was impressive as Sonia thought that she had served him up a rather generous slice and then some with the ice cream on the side. He probably would have licked at the plate if he didn’t think that Sonia would find it gauche whilst she prettily finished off her own serving. Piers wiped his mouth and licked his fingers.</p><p>   “Do you want help washin’ up?” he asked.</p><p>   “That would be nice, but only if you don’t mind. You’re my guest, after all.” Sonia hastily replied.</p><p>   “It’d be the right thing to do though.” Piers said.</p><p>   “Then thank you in advance. I’ll do the actual cleaning, you can just wipe up and don’t worry about putting them away, just on the racks will do.” Sonia said.</p><p>   “Too easy then, darl.” Piers said.</p><p>   They both got up awkwardly after coming to that agreement. Sonia ran the tap at the sink and Piers stood next to her, a fresh and downy tea towel in his hands waiting almost too eagerly. Sonia took a breath whilst she started to pour dish soap into the lukewarm sink. She swirled it around with her fingers before reaching for some rubber gloves. Her cheeks reddened, and because of it, she felt the need to justify herself.</p><p>   “I have, like, a complex, that’s what Gran calls it, with washing up. Wet food is so icky, I can’t stand it.” Sonia said.</p><p>   “I know the feeling.” Piers let out half a puff of a laugh, but it really sounded like he had something stuck in his throat. “Feet creep me out, if I’m bein’ honest. Can’t go to the beach because what if some weirdo’s wearin’ sandals.”</p><p>   “Fair enough.” Sonia said, wry.</p><p>   She turned the tap off and began to wash up with what she had. She scrubbed over the first plate with a brush and in the scratch, scratch, scratch of the bristles, her brow began to deepen. She soon finished up and shook the plate, getting suds and droplets of water everywhere, flinching slightly as she did so.</p><p>   “This is probably a bad time but there’s something I want to tell you, Piers.” Sonia said. “I might have a teeny tiny crush on you so I’d like it if we could go out on a date sometime, something lowkey, casual, you know.”</p><p>   “Oh.” Piers said and Sonia pushed the plate towards his chest, but he didn’t take it. Not after blinking and almost waking himself up from what he had been told anyway.</p><p>   “I know, it’s probably wrong of me to spring this on you so fast. We aren’t that close, but I’d like to be.” Sonia said and she glanced up so adorable towards Piers that he had to glance away.</p><p>   He wiped at the plate, ineffectual, and mumbled: “I’d have to think about it, but I promise to give you an answer soon, ‘fore I leave even.”</p><p>   “Thanks.” Sonia said.</p><p>   “Oh, speaking of,” Piers added, “I gotta go after this. It’s been nice. Real swell. But other things t’ do.”</p><p>   “I wouldn’t make you stay any longer than your comfortable.” Sonia said and the conversation ran dry as she plunged her hands into the sink, deeper, searching for cutlery.</p><p>   They finished up in an uncomfortable silence. Sonia pulled the plug and the water gurgled, taking all the icky crumbs with it. Sonia pulled off her rubber gloves and tossed them to the other side of the sink, where Piers hadn’t stacked the used cutlery. Unthinkingly, she dosed her hands with bubbly foam soap and washed them. She wiped her hands, wringing them intensely, on the tea towel which was still damp from drying up the used crockery.</p><p>   “Can I take the leftover pie home?” Piers asked.</p><p>   “Yeah, yeah, of course.” Sonia said. “It’d be my pleasure; I hope Marnie likes it.”</p><p>   Sonia shuffled towards the breakfast bar and the once spacious feeling kitchen area in her family house suddenly felt a lot smaller. She bundled up the pie in a container and gave it to Piers. A little bit of warmth emanated through to his hands underneath it as he held it steady.</p><p>   “I’m sure she will.” Piers said, somewhat assuring.</p><p>   “Are you ready to go or do you need anything else first?” Sonia asked.</p><p>   “I’m good.” Piers said and he swallowed a dry lump in his throat.</p><p>   Sonia escorted Piers to the front door again and she let him go through first as she thought that was the etiquette, but Piers couldn’t have cared less but he was glad to be out of the house. Out of the laboratory which wasn’t all sterile and suffocatingly cleanly like he thought it would be but was just as terror inducing because it was such above the class that he belonged to.</p><p>   From out here, Piers could see all along the way back to Wedgehurst and then all the way to Motostoke’s outskirts as well. The air was fresh and clean here in a soothing way. Grass swayed in that pleasantly cool breeze and he enjoyed the rural surroundings around him; rural in a way that Spikemuth wasn’t as it was damnably storybook rather than anything else.</p><p>   Piers and Sonia stood on the wooden decking, by a hanging chair for two and some potted plants and a welcome mat. It was nice. Or at least it would have been if it wasn’t for the tension between them so terrible.</p><p>   “I know you haven’t had all that long to think, but what do you say?” Sonia asked and she looked up, pleading, towards Piers. “Would you give me a shot? Maybe even as your girlfriend?”</p><p>   “Whoa, whoa, whoa: that’s too far.” Piers said, prickling almost immediately when Sonia had gotten that far in her impassioned plea for Piers to consider her like that.</p><p>   “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” Sonia dejectedly agreed, she twirled her curls around her finger again.</p><p>   “I. I didn’t mean to be harsh though.” Piers said, scowling but mostly at himself. “Ugh, look Sonia, you’re a really nice girl, I mean. You’re genuine and one in a million so honestly? You deserve better than some loser punk from Spikemuth who makes bad music. You deserve someone who’ll treat you right and stuff.”</p><p>   Sonia was stunned. She stopped toying with her hair and, with stunted movements, returned her hand to her side although that didn’t quell all her fidgeting. She interwove her fingers and let her fake nails clack against each other.</p><p>   “I would love to take you on a date, Sonia. Really, truly. I reckon we could have fun together but ugh.” Piers said, frustration marring his smooth bass voice. He held his head, mussed up his hair as more of his irate nature took over. “It’s just. I’ve never had a good reputation and I intend on wrecking it some more. I’m out of the spotlight, so to speak, so I can start writing controversial music again. I’m looking to get into trouble and if you were my girl, that’d affect you? Lickety-split, it would.”</p><p>   Sonia gasped and covered her mouth. Her heart melted as Piers explained himself.</p><p>   “Piers,” she murmured, and she feebly reached out for his pale, near skeletal hands, “you don’t have to protect me. I’m a grown girl. I can deal with the press and paparazzi, no matter how much of a bad boy you think you are.”</p><p>   “That’s sweet but one other thang, sweetheart.” Piers said. “I thought you had a thing with the ex-champ?”</p><p>   “Leon? He’s just my friend. We’re not like that.” Sonia said, empathetically and Piers could tell that she wasn’t trying to pull the Wooloo wool over his eyes on that.</p><p>   “Good. I don’t want to be someone’s rebound, ya feel?” Piers said.</p><p>   “That is completely understandable.” Sonia assured him.</p><p>   Piers took a breath through his nose. “Alright. I’ll call you tonight, we can make plans, if you like. It’s just, I need to go, and I’ll be honest, I think I found that there inspiration for a new song I was looking for.”</p><p>   Sonia brightened up, heart thumping. “Really?”</p><p>   “It’s not about you.” Piers teased and he leaned in and kissed her forehead.</p><p>   “That’s cool.” Sonia said, burning up but his lips were a balm unto her embarrassment. “I’m cool. I’m not so vain as to think some two-bit rocker’s song about a gal is about me.”</p><p>   Piers snickered and he drew back.</p><p>   “But I do hope you consider it.” Sonia said and she put her hands on Pier’s chest.</p><p>   He felt so brittle, like she could count every rib of his in his chest. It quietened Sonia as she played with the buttons of his clothes instead. He looked so good in his casual clothes. A soft smile pricked on Pier’s lips as he looked down at Sonia with a certain, budding fondness.</p><p>   “Can I get a kiss goodbye or are you too busy chasin’ the lint on my jacket?” Piers asked.</p><p>   Sonia jumped out of her skin at the suggestion, but she raised herself onto her tip toes, her boots squeaking from the across the top creases as she did so. She pecked Piers’ lips, not necessarily chastely but certainly unpractised. It was as though that for all her chic looks and outer shell of genuine self-confidence, she hadn’t had much experience. Piers found it cute, even something to be honoured or flattered by, as kissed back. All whilst he held onto the pie she had baked. He kissed back hard and with more of the sheen of knowing what to do. But still, kissing Sonia was nice. She smelled like candied Rawst Berries and was soft as a feather.</p><p>   And kissing Piers wasn’t all that bad either. He wore cheap cologne and he had cracked lips but there was some sophistication to his technique which Sonia appreciated. She smiled into the kiss, tempted to nestle in against Piers were it not for the fact that he was holding the leftovers of his pie between them.</p><p>   Sonia was the one to end it and she did it with a sort of grief in her heart. She very much wished that they could have remained in that moment longer but both of them needed to breathe. She could feel Piers wither just beneath her as he kissed her. He smiled lazily when Sonia returned to the soles of her feet. She smiled a beautiful smile and batted her eyelashes at him.</p><p>   “I’ll be looking forward to that phone call, Piers. So, we can have our date.” She said, once again chronically twirling a curl of her luscious, orange hair around one of her fingers.</p><p>   That lazy smile Piers wore evolved into something more serious on his perpetually tired face.</p><p>   “I’ll be looking forward to it as well.” Piers said. “And I’ll look forward to that date and maybe even the cash that song which isn’t about you rakes in.”</p><p>   Sonia laughed charmingly whilst Piers bade himself goodbye so he could go hail a Corviknight Taxi. As much as Sonia wanted Piers to stay, she didn’t stop him. Instead, she continued to coo after him, wishing him good luck with his song writing and other errands. In doing so, her heart felt much lighter than it did before having confessed her feelings whilst his felt heavier with the expectations of being a good date in the near future.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>